Article

01 October 2004

A Hurricane Ivan report

Major damage to Interstate Highway 10 over Escambia Bay near Pensacola, Florida. This photograph is one of 501 made by Sherry Collins from an aircraft flown by Bryan Adams that are posted here. Click image to enlarge.

Some of the most important data about the effects of powerful storms and earthquakes comes from those who have personally experienced the event. If you have a personal account of how the recent spate of hurricanes has impacted you and those you know, please send us the details here.

We are especially interested in scientific information about the impact of these storms, including the height of storm surges, measurements of pressure and wind speed, effects of wind, descriptions of the eye of a hurricane, animal behavior and so forth.

Our first report about the effects of hurricane Ivan comes from Society for Amateur Scientist member Mark Gelfand, who has found a web site with 501 aerial photographs of the beaches and bridges near Pensacola, Florida, that were taken shortly after Ivan's passage by Sherry Collins from an aircraft flown by Bryan Adams. Mark writes,

Major destruction in the wake of hurricane Ivan. This photograph is by Sherry Collins from an aircraft flown by Bryan Adams. Click image to enlarge.

"My parents were affected by Hurricane Ivan. They lived on Pensacola Beach near the widest (going north-south) part of the narrow Santa Rosa barrier island, which is about 40 miles long, going east-west. Because they were unable to return home to their house (in large part because all of the bridges were destroyed, and because of the expected long time they would be without services [food, electricity, water, telephone, even cell phone] ), my parents decided that they would drive north to Columbus Ohio.

"A pilot, Bryan Adams, did a great service to the people of Pensacola Beach. He was frustrated like the other residents with the lack of information about their houses. So he flew his Cessna down from Atlanta (where he had wisely evacuated his airplane), made two passes across the island while his girlfriend was taking pictures, returned to Atlanta, and immediately transferred the pictures to his personal web site http://www.pensacolabeachliving.com.
So his web site provides a linear look of the island. In sequence:

"A few pictures of interstate road I-10 crossing Escambia bay, then about ~90 pictures of Santa Rosa island from east to west along the Gulf of Mexico, then Santa Rosa island sound-side from west to east.

The home of Mark Gelfand's parents is at lower right in this photograph by Sherry Collins from an aircraft flown by Bryan Adams. While wind damage is minimal in this image, water damage is evident. Click image to enlarge.

"Amazingly, my parents house is in the lower right of picture #149, and from this leeward view, looks in incredibly good shape. Note: In the aftermath of Hurricane Opal, we had noticed the same minimal damage to the house, compared to other structures closer to the Gulf of Mexico.

"During hurricane Ivan, I believe the sea water rose 11.5 feet on this northernmost point of Santa Rosa island, because my parents house sits 7'7" above sea level, and supposedly some idiot that stayed in his house nearby and from his cell phone reported 3 am during the height that there was 4 feet of water washing through the first floor of the house. During Hurricane Opal, I believe that the sea water level rose a total of 6', as evidence by the island-wide ring of garbage/junk deposited, just a few feet north of the house."

Thanks to Mark Gelfand for this detailed report. Thanks also to photographer Sherry Collins and pilot Bryan Adams for their remarkable collection of photographs posted here. These photographs just might provide good material for a student thinking about a science fair project on the impact of a hurricane on structures built on a barrier island.

Forrest M. Mims III